This season’s Western Conference has been nothing short of chaotic. As Melbet Login observed, young teams have surged to the top of the standings, while traditional powerhouses have struggled just to secure playoff spots. The Phoenix Suns, armed with their so-called Big Three, and the Lakers, led by championship duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis, only managed to finish sixth and seventh respectively in the West.
Heading into the playoffs, few fans could have predicted this outcome. Yet both teams lost their first two games on the road, with the Suns’ second game mirroring the Lakers’ misfortune—a golden opportunity missed, leading to a major blow to team morale. Despite sweeping the Timberwolves in the regular season, the Suns now find themselves in danger of an early playoff exit.
On a recent game day, the Lakers and defending champion Nuggets delivered a rollercoaster of a match. Outside of Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., Denver’s shooting was ice cold. Meanwhile, the Lakers showed incredible fight—Davis dominated inside, D’Angelo Russell was on fire from beyond the arc, and LeBron exploded for 12 points in the fourth quarter. Even with a 20-point lead, they still fell to a game-winning shot by Jamal Murray, a bitter loss that echoed the Suns’ own collapse.
In Game 2, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards underperformed and the Timberwolves’ interior was not their strong suit. Still, Phoenix failed to capitalize. Led by Jusuf Nurkić, the Suns actually won the rebounding battle but crumbled in the final quarter, losing again on the road. Fans now mock the Suns as the “Lakers 2.0″—teams with star power that can’t convert it into wins.
Among Phoenix’s Big Three, Devin Booker stands out as the only homegrown talent. His peak form and higher impact compared to Bradley Beal, coupled with Durant being past his prime, positioned him as the de facto team leader. But once the playoffs began, Booker’s ambition to take over the spotlight became a double-edged sword.
Phoenix’s offense, which once flowed like water, now stutters whenever the ball lands in Booker’s hands. His default move is to isolate and assess his own scoring chances, which often brings the ball movement to a halt. The rest of the team freezes up, simplifying Minnesota’s defensive task. This overreliance on isolation plays has drastically reduced offensive efficiency, directly contributing to back-to-back losses.
Losing the first two games of a best-of-seven series isn’t unheard of—NBA history has seen many comebacks. But for this Suns squad, a turnaround feels like a long shot. Booker is unlikely to adjust his style overnight, and the emotional toll of going from regular-season dominance over the Timberwolves to consecutive playoff defeats is hard to ignore.
It’s like yelling into a fan as a kid and laughing at the echo, only to grow up sitting in air conditioning, wondering where the joy went. If this star-studded Suns roster crashes out in the first round without any major injuries as an excuse, Melbet Login predicts it could be yet another blemish on Kevin Durant’s storied career.